www.anite.com www.calnexsol.com
Effect of Radio Unit Synchronization on MIMO Throughput
Sarabjit Singh and Tim Frost
Issue 1.0 3rd November 2015
Page 2
INTRODUCTION TO MIMO
Page 3
● Multiple Input, Multiple Output
• Uses 2 or more (up to 8 in LTE-A) antennas on both eNodeB and UE
• Increases spatial diversity (leading to greater robustness)
• Increases data throughput
WHAT IS MIMO?
Handset (UE)eNodeB
Page 4
Test conditions
(e.g. channel
model)
Channel model creates the
typical radio conditions in
which the DUT operates
Chamber presents the test
environment under which
the DUT is testedDUT = Device Under Test
WHAT IS MIMO OTA AND TEST SETUP?
Page 5
v
BS
MS2
1
21
1
2
N
N
MS
delay
power
Angle of Arrival (AoA)Each cluster has a specificAngle-of-Arrival and AoA spread. They are mapped onto OTA antennas in the chamber
Power-Delay ProfileHow the power distribution is along the different multi-pathsas a function of delay
BRINGING THE RADIO CHANNEL TO THE LAB
Page 6
• MIMO was originally defined in LTE Release 8 for up to 2 x 2 antenna configurations
• This was extended in LTE-Advanced to include up to 8 x 8 antenna configurations
• Time alignment error between two antennas is defined in 3GPP TS 36.104, clause 6.5.3:
• The time alignment error in Tx Diversity and spatial multiplexing transmission is specified as the delay between the signals from two antennas at the antenna ports
• The time alignment error in Tx Diversity or spatial multiplexing for any possible configuration of two transmit antennas shall not exceed 65 ns.
WHAT ARE THE SYNC REQUIREMENTS?
Page 7
MEASURING MIMO THROUGHPUT
Page 8
• The performance of a MIMO scheme can be evaluated using an Channel emulator
• Various parameters of the MIMO scheme can be configured, and the throughput of the UE measured
MEASURING MIMO THROUGHPUT
Page 9
• Using the Channel emulator, delay can be progressively introduced into one transmit antenna path, creating a time alignment error
• Throughput to UE measured for different delay values
INTRODUCING TIME ALIGNMENT ERROR
delay
Programmable delay element
Page 10
EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
Page 11
MIMO configuration: 2 x 2
LTE duplex mode: FDD
Modulation scheme: 64QAM
Downlink bandwidth: 10MHz
Theoretical maximum throughput: 35.424 Mb/s
Delay introduced: 0-10s in 500ns steps
Number of UEs tested: 2
EXPERIMENTAL CONFIGURATION
Page 12
TEST RESULTS
Throughput drops off above 5sOne handset “hangs on” better
than the other
Both handsets achieve theoretical maximum throughput with up to
5s time alignment error
Page 13
CONCLUSIONS
Page 14
• 3GPP specification for time alignment error is 65ns, but experiment shows maximum throughput is maintained up to 5s
• Why is there such a big discrepancy?
• Tested under “ideal conditions” – no fading, multipath etc.
• In real environment, multipath reflections would add considerable extra delay
• Further possible work:
• Include larger MIMO schemes
• Introduce fading and multipath to see if the results are maintained
• Investigate CoMP schemes (e.g. joint processing – similar to MIMO, but transmitted from separated remote antennas)
CONCLUSIONS
www.anite.com www.calnexsol.com
Tim Frost, Calnex Solutions, [email protected]
Sarabjit Singh, Anite,
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!